Are you Eco-conscious about your fossil fuel consumption?

The environment is rapidly being depleted of all its natural resources and the consequences could be catastrophic. When the fossil fuels in the bowels of the Earth run dry, our carbon-based economic and electrical dependencies could self-implode. It is therefore necessary to spread a greater awareness of fossil fuel consumption, so that we all realize that we all need to come together and start living within the means of our own subsistence. So and with carbon-consciousness in mind, here are 5 eye-opening facts about how much fossil fuels we consume and the effects fossil fuels have on our environment and our communities: 2050: the Earth’s expiration date If we carry on endlessly consuming all the Earth’s natural resources by 2050 we will have to have completely colonized two other entirely new Earth-sized planets in order to sustain the current human rate of consumption. The study that postulates this was carried out by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and they measured what would happen if the growing trends of human carbon-based consumption continued at the same rate as it currently is going. So if we don’t change our ways the seas will be completely fishless and the forests will be completely deforested. And with food and water in short supply humanity could descend into complete anarchy which would ensue as a result of people fighting over few remaining resources left. The Earth cannot reproduce all the resources we use Humanity uses 70% more of the Earth’s biocapacity than the Earth can regenerate. This means that the Earth can only regenerate 30% of what we use each year. Carbon dioxide is known to take up 60% of our ecological footprint. So this is a really strong argument for why we must really take our fossil fuel consumption rates seriously because it makes up the majority of what the planet struggles to regenerate. Therefore the world’s petrodollar economy could collapse when we run out of the petroleum based infrastructure needed to prop up the planet’s financial system, and more importantly the environment will be destroyed in the process which will make the world a more unsafe place to live. The growing demand for oil and the top ten worst oil consumers The U.S International Energy Agency estimates that come 2040 our consumption and need for oil will grow by 48% if we carry on increasingly using more and more oil. So some of the worst offenders of oil consumption really need to make an effort to change their oil-dependencies. These countries include: Trinidad and Tobago rnIcelandrnQatarrnLuxemburgrnUnited Arab EmiratesrnCanadarnOmanrnUnited States rnSaudi ArabiarnBahrain Deadly effect of oil spills In Nigeria, particularly Niger Delta babies who were born 1 month after severe oil spills weretwice as likely to die. In Niger Delta, there was an estimated 240,000 barrels worth of oil spilled. This oil then pollutes waterways, contaminates crops and also releases toxic chemicals into the air. So as a result of long pipelines that eventually spring leaks Niger Delta is left with a process that could take 30 years to clean up, and that has had a traumatic impact on human life in the local communities which were affected by the spillage. The health risks of fossil fuel combustion Recent study findings show that extreme fossil fuel emission, in places such as South Asia, have affected 17 million infants with increased chances of getting brain damage. Air pollution in these regions have also been linked to memory loss, lower IQ and many psychological disorders such as ADHD, depression and anxiety. So if we keep burning fossil fuels at such a high rate, we consequently keep putting the health of ourselves and others at jeopardy. Now you know the facts, what will you be doing to help spread awareness about fossil fuel consumption? How will you/ do you already help in protecting the environment? Comment your answers below and please share this article to raise attention for the dangerous effects over-consuming carbon-based fossil fuels.